Kyrgyzstan Map

 

 

               Map of Central Asia

latest picture: August 9, 2016

• click a picture to see details

001  6/27/2016: On our descent from the

14'042 ft. [4'280m] high Tajik customs

post on the Kyzyl-Art Pass, we are greeted

by colorful alpine scenery, It is the start

of our journey into the mountain Republic

of Kyrgyzstan, also called Kirghizia

002  What a joy: Among the blooming

alpine flora of the Trans-Alay Range

we discover our first edelweiss's

(Leontopodium alpinum). They bring

back memories of our home country

Switzerland

003  Our LandCruiser is tackling its first gravel

miles of the Pamir H'way M41 through fascinating

Kyrgyzstan. The small mountainous country was

once part of the Silk Road, the ancient trade

route between China and Europe, as well before

independence on 8/31/1991 a Soviet republic

Nature’s wonder: Flowers brave the harsh high mountain climate and unfold their full beauty. Kyrgyzstan lies on an average height of

9'022 ft. [2'750m], embedded between its highest point, 24'406 ft. [2'750m] tall mountain Peak Jengish Choqusu (called also Pik Pobedy)

at the Chinese border in the East, and in the West its lowest point of 1'293 ft. in the Fergana Valley near the Tajik Kayrakkum Reservoir

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007  Shiny white yurts of the semi-nomadic

shepherds in the green highland pasture. These

mobile “summer homes” stick out from far and

add to the grace of the Kyrgyz alpine scenery

008  A carpet of golden yellow flowers

spreads along a small water course

009  Two single white daisies

add some brightness!

010  On the descent from the 13'789 ft.

[4'203m] high Tajik/Kyrgyz border post to

Sari Tash the first impressing glacier

comes into view

011  Our LandCruiser is rolling through

pristine mountain scenery down the valley

to the remote village of Sari Tash, an

important road junction connecting

China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

012  Lush summer pasture and snow-capped

mountain peaks are part of Kyrgyzstan’s

beauties. Kyrgyzstan is often dubbed the

“Switzerland of Central Asia”

013  A small herd of horses gallops to

the next waterhole. Horses are indispensable

for the nomadic people

014  Shepherd children spot us in Sari Tash

and follow each of our movements

015  A petrol station, a small shop and a

handful of guesthouses is all that Sari Tash

with its 1'500 people, lying at 10'400 ft.

[3'170m] altitude, has to offer

016  People of Sari Tash lead their own

animals to the collecting point near the

gasoline station from where two shepherds

guide them to their summer pasture

017  Onward journey Sary Tash - Osh:

We reach the 11'860 ft. [3'615m] high

Taldyk pass. Peak Lenin (23'406 ft.

[7'134m]) is greeting from the distance

018  Two shepherd’s children are visiting us

on our breakfast stop on Taldyk pass: Their

cheeks are red from the harsh highland elements.

They are selling “kymyz” – fermented mare’s

milk – in bottles and are happy to get our empty

bottles and the buttered bread with a thick layer

of strawberry marmalade

019  The 23'406 ft. [7'134m] high Peak Lenin

on the Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan border is the

second highest point of both countries

020  View over the switchbacks descending

from the Taldyk pass into the valley, caught

by the morning sun

021  A natural scenery with soft pastel

colors right from a picture book

022  It is summer time in Kyrgyzstan. A

carpet of yellow flowers is spreading

on high altitude ground

023  For their “summer residence”

shepherds find a spot in a valley basin

protected from wind and weather

024  The pretty hamlet of Ych-Fabo close

to the city of Osh lies in a peaceful plain,

surrounded by bleak mountain ridges

025  Just amazing how a flower manages

to sprout in such a stony terrain

026  As far as the eye can see, a field of

wild golden yellow flowers stretches along

the foot of bleak mountain ridges

027  A delicate wild flower coming

to life in a stony environment

028  A little chat on the road with people

from the Czech Republic travelling

in two cars

029  The beauty of nature: Billowing

white clouds are sailing over an eroded

reddish cliff scenery

030  After the Taldyk pass the main

road to Osh runs through a craggy

landscape region

031  Craggy bleak mountain ridges are

part of the Kyrgyz scenery

032  The monument on the Chyyyrchyk

Pass on the M41 of the

Kyrgyz Pamir Highway

033  Also in the small mountain country there

are state coaches. A stretch limousine is

waiting for its next trip on the side of the road

The rolling hills dotted with yurts show that the nomadic culture of the Kyrgyz people survives.

A yurt allows to take it down anytime, head off to new pasture and rebuild it within hours.

Nowadays also caravans can be seen. It is much to be hoped that they will not replace the traditional yurts

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037  Osh, the second largest Kyrgyz city:

At the Swiss “MuzToo” workshop, Emil is

inspecting the radiator. It looks rather

clogged and might be the reason for the

constant overheating of our LandCruiser.

We decide to have it cleaned …..

038  ….. a German guy is attending to it

and starts with the blowing through …..

039  ….. while a Kyrgyz dismantles

the carburetor, which also could be

the reason of overheating

040  Onward journey Osh – Bishkek:

A little “oases” in the dry steppe between

Osh and the capital Bishkek

041  A Kyrgyz wearing his local head

gear is wandering through the steppe

042  On the roadside three cheerful boys are

selling honey melons under a makeshift straw roof

The long narrow Kurpsay Reservoir – formed by the Naryn River –

is embedded into a rugged mountain scenery and offers many fascinating panoramas

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046  Nothing is moving anymore: Along

the gorge of the Kurpsay Reservoir the road

is blocked due to a landslide causing a long

motorcade …..

047  ….. standing in the queue Emil is

enjoying the view down to the reservoir …..

048  ….. our LandCruiser is a welcoming

distraction for other stuck drivers

049  Shortly after the traffic is rolling

again, the narrow gorge opens briefly and

a washed out track leads towards the hill –

just what we need for our night camp …..

050  ..... in the middle of big bushes

with purple flowers we install ourselves

and relax with a local beer …..

051  ..... next morning we take breakfast

with the rising sun, enjoying nature pure

surrounding us

052  One of the most beautiful views over

the Kurpsay Reservoir, 45 miles [72km]

before Karakol along the M41 (= former

"Soviet" continuation of Pamir Highway)

053  A lonely horse is grazing at the

shore of peaceful Andijan Reservoir,

45 miles [73km] northeast of Osh

054  Near Taşkomur we meet a

rugged reddish landscape

055  A monumental Kyrgyz graveyard

against a stunning mountain backdrop

056  Tiny snails stick on

dry stalks of grass .....

057  ….. close-up of the small creepers

Across the southern part of Lake Toktogul there are again and again wonderful sights to bizarre rock formations of the other lake side.

The natural beauty of the place is only interrupted by very few restaurants

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061  After the climb from Lake Toktogul, the

Ala-Bel Pass on 10'416 ft. [3'175m] altitude is

greeting us with snow-capped mountains …..

062  ….. thick snow piles are still on

meadows, next to them flowers already begin

to sprout. Liliana enjoys poking around

063  A horse is grazing on fresh pasture.

The shepherds have already moved

to the alpine pasture

Horses are indispensable for the nomadic people. They not only serve for riding,

but the mares also provide milk to produce milk products like yoghurt. Kyrgyz horses are known to be persistent,

unpretentious, tough and fast. Balanced temperament and good character are two further virtues

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In the plains of the Suusamyr Valley broad fields of flowers are stretching towards the mountain chain – in yellow, purple and dotted with blue

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070  Special road sign on the steep ascent

to the 10'433 ft. [3'180m] high Too-Ashuu

tunnel ruling that, if the axle pressure is more

than 7 metric tons and the temperature more

than 82.4°F [28°C], driving is only allowed

at night between 9pm and 9am

071  Cable car station in the Too-Ashuu ski

region – about 1½ mile [2½km] before the

10'433 ft. [3'180m] high Too-Ashuu tunnel –

with fantastic view to the Suusamyr-Too range

(13'281 ft. [4'048m]) mountain chain. The ski

resort is equipped with 3 slopes of various

complexity levels and different lengths

072  The Suusamyr-Too mountain range

glows in the mild evening light. View

from the Too-Ashuu cable car station

073  Glorious view over the snow-capped Suusamyr-Too mountain range from our camping spot at the Too-Ashuu cable car station

074  We set up camp at the Too-Ashuu

cable car station …..

075  ….. Liliana discovers all kind

of lovely flowers on her tour

around the camp …..

076  ….. while Emil prefers to enjoy

the spectacular mountain view

from our breakfast table

With their distinctive color, form and grace each of these flowers puts its own imprint to the beauty of the meadows

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080  Police are closing the gate to the

1½ miles [2½km] long Too-Ashuu tunnel at

10'433 ft. [3'180m] altitude. A herd of horses

are guided from the south to the northern

side. The tunnel is today illuminated and

ventilated. In 2001 a fatal carbon monoxide

poisoning disaster occurred here

081  High mountain scenery on the

northern side of the Too-Ashuu tunnel

with a mountain stream gushing from

the snow-capped mountains

082  Our LandCruiser starts its journey from

the Too-Ashuu Pass down to the valley,

direction Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan

083  The 34 miles [55km] descent from

the Too-Ashuu Pass (10'270 ft. [3'130m])

to the plains of Sosnovka (3'710 ft. [1'130m])

leads in switchbacks through a narrow gorge,

flanked by towering mountains

084  A plant is raising its white

flower towards the sky

085  The timeless yurts in the lush highland

summer pasture are part of the fascination

of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan

086  A Kyrgyz family takes over and

makes a sign to stop. All they want

is to make a Selfie with us!

087  A Kyrgyz lady is attending our

exotic LandCruiser at a gasoline station

088  On the last day of our journey through

Kyrgyzstan, Liliana poses for a remembrance

picture with Galina, the lovely landlord of our

rented apartment in Bishkek, where we had to

organize the Russian visa in Switzerland

Next website of our 2nd Central and North Asia trip 2016 to Russia:

Kazakhstan –  from Kyrgyzstan to Russia border at Tretyakovo – August 9th to 21st, 2016

The African trip 2013-16:

CapeVerde: Santiago/Praia part 1 – November18th to December 13th, 2013

CapeVerde: Fogo – Dezember13th to 23rd, 2013

CapeVerde: Brava – December 23rd to 26th, 2013

Cape Verde: Santiago/Praia part 2 – December 26th, 2013 to February 28th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Nicolau – February 28th to March 13th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 1 – March 13th to 20th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Eastern side part 1 – March 20th to April 7th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Western side part 2 – April 7th to 10th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 2 – April 10th to 29th, 2014

Namibia Part 1 – from Walvis Bay to Windhoek

Angola Part 1 – September 26th to October 4th, 2014

Angola Part 2 – October 4th to 22nd, 2014

Namibia Part 2 – from Windhoek to the Angolan border, back again and on to South Africa

South Africa Part 1 – from Namibia border to Capetown – January 22nd to February 23rd, 2015

3rd Major Repair of our LandCruiser FJ60 - 1982  (due to two broken sideshafts)

South Africa Part 2 – from Capetown to Tsitsikamma National Park – February 24th to March 13th, 2015

South Africa Part 3 – from Addo National Park to the Lesotho border – March 13th to April 7th, 2015

Lesotho – April 7th to 15th, 2015

South Africa Part 4 – from the Lesotho to the Swaziland border – April 15th to 23rd, 2015

Swaziland – April 23rd to 28th, 2015

South Africa Part 5 – from the Swaziland to the Botswana border  – April 28th to May 15th, 2015

Botswana

Zimbabwe

Mozambique

Malawi

Armed Robbery in Malawi on July 31st/August 1st, 2015

Tanzania

Kenya

Ethiopia Part 1 – from Kenya to Djibouti – October 25th to November 18th, 2015

Djibouti – October 18th to 27th, 2015

Ethiopia Part 2 –  from Djibouti to Sudan – November 27th to December 9th, 2015

Sudan – December 9th, 2015 to January 8th, 2016